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Navigating Productive Conflict: Building Trust and Stronger Teams

Great teams are not defined by the absence of conflict, but by the way they intentionally prepare for it. When leaders lack a shared framework for handling disagreement, conflict can hamper progress and weaken trust. When leaders prepare for it, conflict becomes a productive part of how teams test ideas and move forward Leading with conflict intelligence redefines what effective leadership looks like today, where curiosity, courage and collaboration drive sustained performance. Participants will learn a three-phase process they can put into action with their teams: Foundation and Trust Collaboration and Decision-Making Empowerment and Innovation Along the way, you'll gain practical tools and behaviors for leading with openness, clarity and confidence.

Seminar Number: 02991

  • In-Person
  • Live Online
  • At Your Company Location

Course Scheduling & Pricing

Home>Course Topic>Leadership>Navigating Productive Conflict: Building Trust and Stronger Teams

About This Course

Productive conflict is not about creating more tension—it's about using workplace conflict to strengthen collaboration, improve decision-making and build higher-performing teams. This course helps leaders develop conflict intelligence, a critical leadership skill for managing conflict productively and creating a culture where healthy disagreement leads to better outcomes. Participants will learn practical strategies to surface issues early, build psychological safety, strengthen team collaboration and guide productive conflict before it becomes disruptive. Leaders leave with tools to turn team conflict into innovation, accountability and stronger team performance.

Read the FAQs

Who Should Attend

Managers, leaders and business professionals who want to create stronger teams by using conflict intelligence as a catalyst for connection and lasting success.

  •   In-Person2 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU, 12 PMU
  •   Live Online2 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU, 12 PMU
 
 

Great teams are not defined by the absence of conflict, but by the way they intentionally prepare for it. When leaders lack a shared framework for handling disagreement, conflict can hamper progress and weaken trust. When leaders prepare for it, conflict becomes a productive part of how teams test ideas and move forward

Leading with conflict intelligence redefines what effective leadership looks like today, where curiosity, courage and collaboration drive sustained performance.

Participants will learn a three-phase process they can put into action with their teams:

  • Foundation and Trust
  • Collaboration and Decision-Making
  • Empowerment and Innovation

Along the way, you'll gain practical tools and behaviors for leading with openness, clarity and confidence.

  • Gain a practical framework for leading through conflict with confidence
  • Create team norms that support honest discussion and mutual respect
  • Strengthen trust while addressing opposing viewpoints
  • Improve the quality of decisions through structured dialogue
  • Understanding conflict intelligence and adopting a leadership mindset
  • Building psychological safety and trust
  • Facilitating balanced discussion and shared decision making
  • Encouraging feedback, recognition and continuous learning

Learning Objectives

  • Define and apply the principles of conflict intelligence
  • Establish a foundation of psychological safety and trust within a new team
  • Model vulnerability and authentic leadership behaviors
  • Facilitate structured collaboration and decision-making processes
  • Empower team autonomy and innovation through feedback and recognition systems
  • Evaluate and sustain a culture of continuous improvement

A Framework for Leading with Conflict Intelligence

  • Define conflict intelligence
  • Engage the leader philosophy needed to promote a conflict-intelligent team culture
  • Recognize the leader’s three-phase conflict-intelligence journey
  • Assess the impact points that surround the conflict-intelligence three-phase development journey

Phase I: Foundation of Trust

  • Apply the first phase for a leader developing conflict intelligence
  • Establish a foundation of psychological safety and trust within a new or existing team
  • Model vulnerability and authentic leadership behaviors

Phase II: Collaboration and Proactive Disagreement

  • Facilitate structured collaboration and decision-making processes
  • Apply proactive creative and innovative disagreement
  • Lead productive disagreement when presented with differing good options and unique experiences

Phase III: Empowerment and Innovation

  • Empower team autonomy and innovation through feedback and recognition systems
  • Evaluate and sustain a culture of continuous improvement and trust
  • Set an action plan to implement new high-value strategies, skills and techniques for leading and building conflict-intelligent teams

Download Extended Seminar Outline PDF

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In-Person Schedule

1 Session Available

Live Online Schedule

2 Sessions Available

  • $2,895.00 Non Members
  • $2,595.00 AMA Members
Date Duration State City Zip
  2026-10-15 2026-10-16 Oct 15, 2026 - Oct 16, 2026 2 Days DC Arlington/Washington 22202-4807 Arlington/Washington Register Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should attend this conflict-intelligent leadership course?

This program is designed for managers, leaders and business professionals who want to build stronger teams by learning how to manage and use workplace conflict more productively. It is especially valuable for leaders responsible for guiding teams through disagreements, collaboration challenges or complex conversations.

What skills will I learn in this conflict intelligence training?

Participants learn how to develop conflict intelligence, a leadership capability that helps teams address disagreements constructively. The course focuses on practical skills such as navigating difficult conversations, understanding different perspectives and turning conflict into an opportunity for stronger collaboration.

How is this course different from traditional conflict management training?

Many programs focus only on resolving or avoiding conflict. This course focuses on conflict intelligence — helping leaders understand how conflict can strengthen relationships, improve communication and lead to better decisions when it is handled effectively.

My team struggles with tension or disagreements. Will this course help?

Yes. Many teams experience conflict but lack the tools to address it productively. This program helps leaders guide conversations more effectively so disagreements lead to understanding, stronger relationships and better team outcomes.

What does a conflict-intelligent team look like?

A conflict-intelligent team is one where team members feel comfortable sharing different perspectives, addressing disagreements openly and working through challenges together. When teams develop conflict intelligence, they communicate more honestly and collaborate more effectively.

Why is conflict intelligence important for team performance?

Teams that develop conflict intelligence are better equipped to handle disagreements, make stronger decisions and maintain healthy working relationships. When conflict is addressed constructively, it can become a catalyst for innovation and stronger collaboration.
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